The details
According to a METRO news release, the Community Connector is a clean energy micro-transit service that allows riders to reach the authority's fixed-route services or essential destinations where public transportation is limited.
The new service is the result of a partnership with Houston and Evolve Houston, a nonprofit organization accelerating electric vehicle in the Greater Houston area. Vehicles in the fleet include climate-friendly, electric vehicles that operate in a specific zone, according to the METRO website.
Community Connector started operating in Downtown Houston, Second Ward and Third Ward in late 2024 and early 2025. The Heights expansion route now includes north and south zones in the Heights.
The Heights North Zone encompasses the area between 25th Street to 12th Street and Cordell Street to Alexander Street.
The Heights South Zone will serve between 12th Street and White Oak Drive and Yale Street and Beauchamp Street with a small area that travels down White Oak Drive to Quitman Street and North Main.
The Heights services will operate Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Customers can request a ride within the designated zone by using the Ride Circuit app.
Zooming out
The Community Connector expansion is part of the METRONow plan, which METRO officials announced last year to improve mobility throughout the county.
“This new service is already transforming transit and people's lives by providing direct access to buses and trains and ultimately meets essential needs like attending wellness appointments or getting to the grocery store," METRO Chair Elizabeth Gonzalez Brock said in the news release.
METRO also launched a direct route from Downtown Houston to George Bush Intercontinental Airport on April 13. The route includes ferrying passengers from the George R. Brown Convention Center to IAH Terminal C.
